Boy A

Eric Wilson leaves a secure unit under the alias Jack Burridge as he begins a tentative new life. Flashbacks throughout the film reveal the dark corners of his past that he can never fully escape. The opening establishes the central tension between who he was and who he wants to be.

Eric is befriended by Philip Craig, a troublemaking classmate who initially seems to offer protection. Philip's charisma masks a violent streak that draws Eric into his orbit. The park becomes the setting where their uneasy alliance forms.

Philip vandalizes a park sign with a Stanley knife and drags a girl under a bridge in a brutal scene. The girl dies during the incident, though the film never shows who actually commits the killing. Eric retrieves the knife and follows, but the exact culpability remains unclear as both are remanded into secure units.

While in custody, Philip dies, with officials labeling it a suicide though Eric suspects foul play by other youth offenders. The death compounds Eric's sense of injustice and the murk of the system. He remains haunted by what happened in that period.

Eric is released and guided by social worker Terry. He assumes a new identity as Jack Burridge and starts to rebuild his life with care. Terry's counsel emphasizes safety, secrecy, and the fragile line between privacy and truth.

Eric secures a job and forms a close friendship with his coworker Chris, who becomes a steady presence in his attempt to fit back in. He begins to experience normal routines, small talk, and the feel of ordinary adulthood. The new life marks a conspicuous break from his past.

Eric's relationship with Michelle develops, giving him a glimpse of happiness and belonging. He fears exposure could ruin this fragile progress. The bond becomes a quiet anchor in his increasingly complicated life.

Eric performs a courageous rescue that saves a little girl's life after a car crash. The act earns public praise and reinforces his status as a hero. Yet the event also intensifies scrutiny of his past and the question of who he really is.

A local newspaper runs a feature portrait of him as a hero, including a photo of both boys in the story. The coverage fuels public interest in Eric's history and prompts questions about his reinvention. The article complicates his carefully constructed life.

Terry warns that revealing Eric's past could invite danger and jeopardize the fragile progress he's made. He explains that 'Eric is history and Jack is a new person' to emphasize the risk of mixing identities. The guidance underscores the movie's central tension between truth and safety.

Eric's rehabilitation worker's son uncovers the truth from newspaper articles and through information found on his father's computer. The revelation propels Eric into a new wave of scrutiny and costs him his job as well as his friend Chris turning distant. The episode deepens his isolation and fear of being found out.

Michelle disappears, and suspicions mount that Eric is somehow involved. It later emerges that she has sequestered herself at home, devastated by the discovery of Jack's true identity. The couple's relationship collapses under the weight of the past.

Eric phones Terry and Chris repeatedly, but only his voicemail answers as he flees toward Blackpool. He imagines a reunion with Michelle to gain some emotional closure. The trip marks a turning point, as he confronts the consequences of his hidden life.

In Blackpool, Michelle reveals she was not the one who leaked his past and would have understood if he had told her. He leaves a series of farewell messages and then stands on the edge of a pier, facing an uncertain future. The film ends on that tense, unresolved moment.